When my grandmother was a child, she lived in a southern part of Hebei, China, back in the 1930s or 1940s. Her family resided in a small town, and in that town, there was a wealthy family with three sons. The youngest son, who was the most handsome and intelligent, was their parents' favorite. When he turned eighteen, they arranged a marriage for him. However, he strongly opposed the idea of an arranged marriage, having attended a modern school and disliking such unions without knowing the bride-to-be. After much pressure from his family, he decided to leave home.
One dark night, he left with his belongings and money, avoiding the main roads due to the chaos of those times. He wandered into a forest on a mountain road. He walked for hours without reaching the end and realized he might get lost. That's when he stumbled upon a farmhouse.
The farmhouse was a tranquil sight in the otherwise eerie forest, and he had no choice but to knock on the door for directions. A beautiful girl in a red dress answered the door and graciously welcomed him inside, offering tea and directions. As he looked around, he saw several houses in the courtyard, but only the girl was present. He complimented her beauty, and she replied with unexpected wisdom and humor, saying that beauty depended on how well a person conducted themselves.
They engaged in a conversation, and the young man gradually developed feelings for her. He suggested that she become his adoptive sister, much to her surprise. She countered that he should marry her instead. He backtracked, saying that wasn't his intention, but he felt there was a special connection between them.
She agreed to let him stay the night in one of the rooms. The young man couldn't resist, confessing his feelings and suggesting they marry. She challenged him and asked if he was interested in her only because of her looks. He affirmed that he genuinely liked her and expressed his desire to be with her.
She then said that he should marry her if he wasn't simply playing around. He hesitated and said he needed to ask his parents. Finally, he gave in, promising to marry her. He tried to embrace her, and she placed a half of a silk handkerchief embroidered with a mandarin duck design in his pocket.
She smiled and said she would find him on the seventh night. The young man's vision darkened, and he lost consciousness. The next day, he was carried back home in a terrified state. He was babbling incoherently, and it seemed like he had a close encounter with something supernatural.
His family, worried about his condition, consulted doctors and then even a Taoist priest. Nothing could cure him, and he eventually passed away, leaving his family in deep sorrow.
They considered performing a spirit marriage for him, but the initial priest refused to participate. They found another priest willing to conduct the ceremony, but the day it was scheduled, something strange happened. A procession of people in black clothes carrying coffins approached the cemetery. They were accompanied by musicians and threw paper money and red flower petals in the air.
The priest realized that these were the potential brides for the spirit marriage, and they should not be present. He selected one of the girls as the spirit bride, and all the others were sent home. Then, in the distance, another group arrived – a bridal sedan carried by people dressed as if for a wedding. Inside was a bride made of paper.
This startled everyone, and the priest realized that the young man's death was not as simple as they thought. The previous priest had suspected something was wrong and backed out. The new priest explained that the bride inside the sedan was a vengeful spirit of a girl who died before marriage, known as a "ghost bride." These spirits could not find peace unless they were married to a living man.
The bride had chosen the young man, and when he agreed, it was destined for him to join her. They needed to proceed with the ceremony, and the ghost bride was laid to rest beside the young man.
This entire event left a lasting impression on the town, especially on the children like my grandmother. They remembered how, on the seventh night, a strange procession of people and ghosts took place at the cemetery, including a young paper bride in red, leaving an indelible mark in their memories.